Baby Don't Forget my Number
by kirahelena
Summary: A series of phone calls between Alex and Addison about their lives. Set post 4x13 Grey's Anatomy and follows the events of Seasons 4-6 as well as Private Practice Season 2-3. Mostly canon compliant. Addex eventually, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know I should really be finishing A Year or a Day but this story came to me and I couldn't get it out of my head. Set post 4x13 Grey's Anatomy and follows the events of Seasons 4-6 as well as Private Practice Season 2-3. Mostly canon compliant, except Alex and Addison obviously don't keep in touch (well, they might do. We can dream.). Probably a 3-shot. Knowledge of PP is probably useful but I think you'd get by without it. Let me know what you think! I appreciate it. x**

Addison blinked wearily as the sound of her cell phone pulled her from her sleep and she reached out blindly and opened it.

"Hello?" She said into the phone, her voice coming out as a croak as she tried to pull herself from her sleep.

"Rebecca's not pregnant." She pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the caller ID in shock, before bringing it up.

"What?" She breathed.

"Rebecca told me she was pregnant, that day with you, by the elevator." She could hear the crack in his voice and chose to remain silent, still half convinced this was all a dream. "I stepped up, I worked extra shifts at Joe's to try and afford a house. I was scared out of my mind, but I was trying so desperately to be _the guy_. The barbecue and catch guy."

Addison's breath caught in her throat as she recognised her own words from a few months ago. "Alex-" She froze as she realised she had no idea what to say to him, no idea why he called her with this.

He just continued to talk, as though he hadn't heard her interruption. Maybe he hadn't. "But it doesn't matter now because she's not pregnant. And I want to be so mad at her. I am mad at her. For making me think about the future. But I can't be."

"Why not?" She whispered.

He let out a sigh. "It was a hysterical pregnancy. Ava, _Rebecca,_ she's sick."

"Oh, Alex." The pain in his voice caused a flutter in her heart that she refused to dwell on.

"And yet I still hate her. What sort of man does that make me?"

She sighed. "Alex, why did you call me?"

"I don't know." He admitted.

"You're a decent guy, Alex. I meant it when I said that. Yes, I may kinda of hate you and you really do suck. But you're a decent guy and you know what the right thing to do is." There was silence on the other side of the line and Addison wondered if he had hung up. "Alex, you still there?"

"Yeah Addison I'm here." They were silent for a few more minutes and Addison listened to his breaths on the other side of the line. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me Alex. Just take good care of yourself, okay?"

She heard his hum of acknowledgement and went to hang up, thinking this bizarre night time conversation was over. She moved to her hand the the end call button when his voice stopped her.

"I do, Addison, I have so much to thank you for. And for what it's worth, letting you go was the hardest thing I've ever done. I did want you, Addie, I always will."

Addison's mouth dropped open in shock and she tried to form a response to that. "Uh, Alex…" She trailed off not knowing what to say, but was saved from having to form the rest of the sentence when she heard the dial tone and the line go dead.

She replaced the cell phone on the night stand and rolled over, trying to forget the conversation and go back to sleep. As she tossed and turned all night, giving up on sleep as the first rays of sun appeared through the window, she realised that forgetting was going to be easier said than done.

* * *

Addison stared at the cell phone sat in front of her as she sat on a lounger on her deck, taking large gulps of her wine. She took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, before sharply exhaling and picking up the cell phone. She dialled the number she never thought she would again and held it to her ear, downing her wine to stop her losing her nerve and hanging up.

"Addison?" She heard the confusion in his voice, and the background noise of the hospital.

"The practice is bankrupt and my best friend hates me." She blurted out at once, and she heard the background noise fading as he presumably went somewhere more private. "Sorry, Alex you're at work I shouldn't have called, I'll go."

"No, Addison, wait. I have a few minutes. Shoot."

She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Naomi, my best friend since med school, runs the practice I work at. She came to me and told me that the practice was having financial problems but she wouldn't tell anyone. And I didn't know what to do…so I told Sam, Naomi's ex-husband who works at the practice as well. We were going bankrupt and Naomi was running the into the ground, everyone deserved to know!"

She paused and Alex took it as his cue to speak. "So you told everyone behind her back?"

She sighed. "Actually it was more of a hostile take over…"

"Addison." He scolded, she had no idea when he grew up enough to scold her. Or to be the person she calls for advice, come to think of it.

"I know, okay, I _know._ " She let out a muffled groan and refilled her wine glass. "My best friend hates me and so does everyone else in this place now and I'm lonely, and it's all my fault, _I know._ "

She heard his pager go off through the phone. "Look, Addison, I've got to take that. What you need to do is be patient? You thought you were doing the right thing and if your best friend is really your best friend, she'll realise that and forgive you eventually. As for the alone thing, that wouldn't bother the Addison Forbes Montgomery I knew. She chased her husband across the country to a hospital where she was known as Satan and an adulterous whore."

"Jeez, thanks." She muttered as his pager went off again.

He chuckled. "I really have to go now. All I was saying is you were stubborn enough to get friends in Seattle, you'll get friends in LA."

"Alex." She sighed and heard the hospital sounds get louder as he obviously was on his way to answer his page. "Thank you. For talking to me."

"Just returning the favour, Addie." He said and with that the line went dead again.

She had a small smile on her face as she drained the rest of her glass and refilled it once again. She decided to choose to believe his comments, putting blind faith in the guy who had contributed to her moving to this place anyway. It would get better, she had to believe that.

* * *

"Rebecca tried to kill herself." She felt rather than heard the pain in his voice as he choked the words out as she answered the phone, leaning on the counter of the practice's kitchen, glad it was empty.

"Oh, Alex." She breathed, the tears filling her eyes, her voice cracking. She felt the pain because although she may have left and everything between her and Alex may have gone so _wrong,_ but Rebecca would always be Ava, their Jane Doe. She couldn't imagine what he was feeling.

"Don't, Addison. Just don't." He spat.

She nodded slightly, knowing he couldn't see it. "Okay." She said simply, remaining silent as she listened to his ragged breathing and the tears she knew he'd deny ever crying.

After a long time he spoke up again. "I thought I could handle it. I thought I had it under control, that I could make her _better._ "

"It's not your fault." She risked saying, not surprised when he didn't acknowledge she spoke.

"She shut down, didn't say or do anything. She _peed herself,_ Addison. I showered her and dressed her and everything. I was making her lunch when Izzie called, I left the room."

"Alex, Rebecca was sick. All the good intentions and love and care in the world can't fix that. You're a surgeon, you know that."

"I know!" He yelled and Addison was slightly taken aback at the anger and emotion in his voice. "I know, Addison, the rational part of me knows that. But I left the room and she used the knife that I left there. I left the room." He finished softer, the pain in his voice causing her heart to clench.

"I don't know what to say to make this better." She admitted softly.

"I didn't call you so you could make it better, Addie. I don't need you to fix me. I just need you to talk to."

She sighed. "Well, I'm here, Alex. I'm here."

"Good." He muttered and hung up abruptly.

She turned and rested her head against the cabinet, letting out a light sob with the cell phone clenched tightly in her hand. The door to the kitchen opened and she desperately wiped at her eyes as Violet walked in.

"You okay?" Violet eyed her curiously and she just shook her head. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Addison breathed. She didn't even know how she would begin to explain her emotional connection to Ava or Rebecca or Jane Doe. Or her emotional connection to Alex now she thought about it. Instead she pushed herself off the counter and out of the room, making her way in to her office.

She most definitely did not want to talk about Alex Karev.

* * *

Her phone rang in the middle of the night and she picked it up without checking the ID. She knew who it would be.

"I slept with Izzie." He whispered and she pretended like she didn't feel a pain in her heart when she heard his words.

"Did it help?" She chose to say instead.

"Yes. No. I don't know." He breathed back.

"Alex, why are you whispering? Please tell me you are not calling me while in bed with another woman."

He let out a light chuckle. "I'm not calling you while in bed with another woman."

She was silent for a moment. "Liar."

"Yeah, I am." She laughed as well then. "I felt better for a while."

"That's all you can do, Alex. Just keep feeling better whenever you can."

"You're really good at this advice crap, Addie."

"I know, I'm perfect. You really screwed up letting me go." She joked, pretending she didn't hear his breath hitch at her words.

"I'm sorry for waking you up." He whispered.

"I'd like to think you'd wake up for me too."

"Always." He said and she smiled at the adamant tone of voice.

"Good night Alex."

"Night Addie." He hung up the phone and she smiled at the fact they'd almost managed to have a normal end to a conversation. Not that there was anything normal about their conversations.

* * *

"I'm dating a SWAT cop." Addison blurted when Alex answered the call.

"Good for you?" Alex chuckled.

"I can't remember the last time I wasn't with someone who was a surgeon, for at least a doctor." She rambled.

"So, it's a good change?" He questioned. "I mean the other thing clearly wasn't working for you."

She hummed in agreement. "I've decided to have sex rules."

He spluttered at her words and that gave her a small sense of pride. "Sex rules? What does that even mean?"

She laughed as she stirred her morning coffee. "It means that I started a lot of relationships with sex and it has never ended well."

He laughed and she knew he was thinking of the two of them. "That's actually not a bad idea. I might take your advice."

"Oh?" She questioned. "Who with?"

"Izzie."

Addison snorted. "I don't think sex rules work when you've already slept with each other."

He gave her a self deprecating chuckle. "Maybe not, but I think we're going to start dating. No sex at the start of dating is a good thing right?"

She laughed. "Alex, I'm going now."

He gave her an over dramatic sigh. "Fine, Addie."

"Goodbye, Alex." She said as she hung up and felt a small sense of pride at the fact she had been the one to end the phone call this time.

* * *

Addison anxiously clicked her pen as she sat behind her desk and waited for Alex to answer the phone.

"Addie?" He questioned as he picked up.

"I run a private practice in LA now."

"What?" He laughed at her anxious tone.

"Naomi and Sam called a vote as to which one of them should run the practice. Everyone voted for me not for them, even though I wasn't a candidate."

"Congratulations?"

She sighed. "No Alex. Not congratulations. I didn't ask for this."

"You may not have asked for this but you're going to be awesome at this. Trust me."

The conviction in his voice caused a warmth to spread through his heart. "I like the blind faith you have in me."

He chuckled warmly. "I know you, it's not blind faith."

"Alex, who are you talking to?" She heard Izzie's voice in the background and froze.

"Um…"

"Alex, I'll go." She said.

"Okay, you can still call me whenever. You're going to be great. You always are."

She chuckled. "Damn straight. Goodbye Alex." She hung up the phone and pretended she didn't wonder what Alex was saying to Izzie.

* * *

She took longer than she usually did contemplating whether to call Alex after how their last conversation ended but in the end dialled the number she always did.

"My brother is in LA." She blurted as soon as he picked up.

"And that's bad how exactly?"

"Alex." She whined.

"Sorry." He laughed. "I'm meant to be all dark and twisty and offer you advice that way."

She huffed. "I hate to use a Meredith-ism but why are you bright and shiny?"

"Me and Izzie are doing good."

"Oh." She said. "That, that's good. Does she know it was me on the phone?"

"No." He admitted. "Does anyone know I call you?"

She thought about that for the moment. "So Archer was an ass to Kevin. Told him I was a millionaire. maybe scared him off. Probably definitely scared him off."

"You're a millionaire?" She heard the shock in his voice.

"Alex." She snapped. "Focus."

"Right." He sounded sheepish at least. "So your brother..?"

"Turned up out of the blue, broke into my house, found him having sex on my kitchen floor. Then he had sex with my best friend and scared my boyfriend off."

"You saw your brother having sex?"

"Alex!" She snapped again as he chuckled.

"So Archer had sex with Naomi and that's a bad thing?"

"Archer is like Mark Sloan 2.0."

"Right. Not who you want with your best friend."

"Exactly." She sighed. "Are you really bright and shiny?"

"No." He admitted after a small pause."Are you?"

"I'm trying." She whispered.

"Me too, Addie." He sighed. "Me too."

He ended the call and she lay back on the bed, tears running silently down her face.

* * *

She answered the phone, seeing Alex's name and smiling despite her day.

"Hey, Alex." She breathed, the happiness in her voice appearing involuntarily.

"Izzie told me she hallucinates about having sex with Denny." Her breath escaped her all at once.

"Alex." She breathed, biting her lip. "What did you say?"

"I said that there's nothing wrong with a good fantasy." Alex didn't say anything for a few seconds but listened over the line. "Dude, are you laughing?"

"No." Addison breathed before letting out a big laugh, Alex joining in a few seconds later, both of them laughing until they were breathless. "What do you really think?"

He sobered up. "It's karma. I'm crappy at relationships so Denny will always win with Izzie. Karma."

"That's crap, Alex." She said simply.

Alex sighed. "Whatever, Addie. What's going on with you and SWAT cop? You must have good gossip?"

She sighed. "Charlotte, the Chief of Surgery at St Ambrose and Cooper's boyfriend, opened a rival practice downstairs which doesn't help the financial problems I am having."

"That was not about SWAT cop." Alex stated.

"Well, I don't want to talk about SWAT cop." Addison snapped.

"I don't want to talk about Izzie and Denny." He admitted.

"Okay." Addison breathed.

"Okay." He repeated.

* * *

"I kissed a guy who wasn't SWAT Cop." Addison said flopping onto her bed. "I'm an adulterous whore again."

"Is it adultery if you're not married?" Alex mused.

"Okay, just a cheating bitch this time." Alex let out a low chuckle. "I'm serious, Alex!"

"Okay, okay." He said and she could hear the sounds of a bar, probably Joe's in the background. "Does SWAT cop know?"

"Yes." She sighed. "He left."

"Oh." She heard him order a beer. "Are you okay?"

He seemed almost reluctant to ask and she sighed. "Are you not with the other interns?"

"We're residents now." He stated.

"Right." She sighed and paused for a moment. "I feel relieved. Does that make me a bad person?"

She could almost see the shrug from 1000 miles away. "You _are_ a cheating bitch."

"Alex." She warned.

"Sorry." He laughed. "It doesn't make you a bad person, it just proves you weren't in the right relationship."

"Right." She was silent for a moment more. "I'm sick of being in the wrong relationship."

"Me too."

"Stevens still having crazy ghost hallucinatory sex with Denny?" She asked curiously.

"Yes. I presume." He huffed. "I don't bring it up."

"When did we get so screwed up?" She questioned.

"Who the Hell knows?" He chuckled and hung up.

She rolled over on the bed face down, groaning into the pillow at her situation.

* * *

"Addie?" Alex's voice floated down the line, filled with sleep and she couldn't hold back the choking sobs which wracked her body. "Addie, what's wrong?" He sounded alert and vaguely panicked now.

"It's Archer. It's Archer." She was choking out the words, trying to get them out in spite of the tears.

"Addie, baby. Come on. Talk to me." He sounded so panicked and urgent and it brought on another round of sobs. "Addie."

"He has neurocysticercosis, Alex. I'm coming to Seattle. Derek, um, Derek…" She was stopped by another round of sobs.

"Oh, baby. Addie." She could hear the pain in his voice in his voice and she tried not to question it. "Shepherd is the best, you know that."

"Yeah." She choked out. "Look, I need to get on the medevac. It's just will you be there? I know it's a lot to ask, Alex but please. Will you be there?" A sob cut through the end of her sentence.

"I'll be there, Addie. Now get on that helicopter. I'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you." She breathed and ended the call, climbing onto the helicopter beside Archer and Naomi.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay, 4 reviews for the first chapter! Thanks, you guys are the best! Here's part 2 and it features a short meeting (yay!) and a lot more phone calls. Let me know what you make of it x**

Addison stepped out of the ambulance and into Derek's arms, biting her tongue to stop asking for the person she wanted to see. She trailed behind Derek and Naomi as Archer was pushed into the ER. She stood at the corner of the room she watched Derek work, silent with tears running down her face. They stabilised Archer and Derek steered Naomi out of the room, saying something about coffee, as she continued to stare blankly at her brother. She whirled round as she heard the the door to the room open and choked back a sob as she saw Alex standing there.

"Addie." He breathed and with that she was in his arms, sobbing as he held her upright, stroking her hair and trying to offer soothing words. He guided her to the chair in the corner and sat her down, rocking her gently as she sat on his lap, cradling her until her cries subsided into sleep.

When she woke up, Alex was gone and before she knew it she was thrown into her old med school life, with Derek, Archer, Mark, Naomi and Sam. The 6 of them back together as she struggled through the mess that was Archer's surgery and later the complications with Jen. Sure Alex was there for that, but barring one bizarre conversation about a train and a comment about how Derek wasn't her guy anymore, there was nothing more than a professional relationship between the two. Addison stood waiting for a cab, ready to make her way back to LA, to her life when she heard someone come up behind her.

"Addie." He breathed as he wrapped his arms around her. She turned and buried her face in his neck, ignoring how his arms tightened around her and how he breathed in the scent of her hair. "We'll be okay." He muttered.

"You'll still call me?" She questioned her voice thick with tears.

He chuckled and patted down her hair. "As long as you still call me."

She nodded into his neck as she heard the cab pull up behind her. "Then we'll be okay."

With that she turned and climbed into the cab to the airport, without so much as a glance back.

* * *

Addison leant against the wall outside of the birthing suite, accepting the call on her cell with a simple greeting of "Alex."

There was just silence on the other end if the line and Addison listened to his breaths for a few minutes. "Alex, you know I'm always here for you. Always. But I've got a mother in labour so I'm on a limited time scale here and if you don't start talking, I'm going to have to hang up."

"Izzie has cancer." He blurted.

"What?" She felt the air leave her lungs at his words.

"Izzie has stage 4 metastatic melanoma that has spread to her brain, liver and skin. She may only have months to live, and she's resisting treatment." His voice was empty of emotion, he sounded like a doctor delivering a diagnosis and it broke her heart.

"Oh, Alex, honey…"

"That's why she was seeing Denny. I thought she was crazy, I laughed at her, but she had a brain tumour. She _has_ a brain tumour. There's only 5% chance that she'll survive." His voice finally cracked.

"That's still a chance." She said but her words sounded empty even to her.

"Yeah." He breathed. "You should go to your patient."

"Alex, I still have a few minutes if you need them."

"Addie, you should go." She heard him swallow and clear his throat. "Thank you. For being here."

With that he hung up the phone and she took a moment in the hall to compose herself, brushing the tears from her cheeks and taking a deep breath before heading back to the birthing suite.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since she heard from Alex and she debated about whether to call him what with Izzie's cancer. She sighed and dialled the number anyway, regretting it when he picked up with a weary 'hello'.

"Alex." She breathed. "I shouldn't have called."

He let out a chuckle, but it seemed deep and less joyful than normal. "You know you can always call me Addie."

"I know but my problem seems so insignificant and petty compared to your 'my girlfriend has cancer' crap."

He let out another chuckle, this one lighter and more genuine. "I've always like you. You say it how it is." He mused.

"I met a guy and now I'm Meredith Grey." She blurted.

"Okay…" He said, confused.

"I met guy in the scrub room and he had nice eyes. So we flirted. We flirted for months and he was nice and he made me feel special and loved." She took a breath. "Then I was doing a check up on a patient, a very pregnant patient, and her husband walked in. And it was Noah. It was the flirty, charming guys with the nice eyes."

"Oh, Addie."

"Don't, Alex." Her voice was strained. "We both know you have more problems than my pathetic love life."

"I like your pathetic love life. It helps me forget my problems." She laughed at that. "Addie, you will find someone who deserves you. Someone who's not married. Who is not screwed up." She snorted. "Okay, who is just screwed up enough to deal with you. You deserve the best Addie, and it may feel like the world is collapsing in at the moment, but you'll get over that, you always do."

She sighed. "Is Izzie that for you?"

It was his turn to sigh. "Yes. No. She has to be. She has cancer, so I have to step up." He paused. "Shepherd got her brain tumour. It's all gone."

"That's really good Alex, I'm really pleased."

"I don't know if you know but Meredith and Shepherd got engaged. They're getting married in a few weeks." Addison felt her heart clench at Alex's words, thankful but at the same time resentful of his inability to beat around the bush.

"Congratulations are in order, I guess then." She muttered.

"You'll be okay, Addie."

"I know." She replied with more conviction than she felt as she hung up the phone.

* * *

"Meredith is giving her wedding to me and Izzie. We don't think Izzie is going to make it." Alex blurted as soon as she chose to accept the call in the middle of their morning meeting.

"What?!" She half yelled at him, causing everyone to look at her, Naomi mouthing 'are you okay?' as she simply shook her head and walked out of the room into her office.

"I'm getting married and I'm freaking out because the bride is one of my best friends and could die tomorrow so tell me something about your life. Preferable something crappy to distract me."

She remained silent as she thought about her life, trying to ignore the anguish in his voice. "I had this patient today, Katie." She started slowly. "She was also a patient of Violet's. I had to tell her that her baby had died. She needed surgery to remove the foetus and me and Violet had to try and convince her to do it, while she was _dying_ of sepsis. She thought her baby was still alive. How the Hell do you deal with that?"

"You know that's really crazy and sucky and all but it makes me feel better about my life."

She let out a big laugh at that. "Good luck on your wedding, Alex. I'm sorry I can't be there." That was a lie and they both knew it.

"Good luck with your patient Addie." She wasn't sure which of them hung up first but she came to the conclusion it didn't really matter.

* * *

Addison sat in a corridor in the hospital, after working all day on Violet and Lucas. Her bones ached and yet at the same time her whole body felt numb. She pulled the cell phone out of her pocket and dialled the number that became almost like habit.

She heard the click which indicated the call and been answered and blurted out what she had to say before she lost her nerve.

"I almost slept with a married man. I almost slept with Noah then my pager went off and his wife was in freaking labour and I didn't sleep with him. And it felt like the biggest thing in the world." She exhaled shakily. "Then the hospital called and Violet… oh my God, Violet. That patient I told you about, Katie, she tried to steal Violet's baby. She _cut_ Lucas out of Violet's body and I had to try to save both of them and it worked, I did it. I saved them. So why do I feel so God damn empty?" She ended her rant with tears running down her face, tipping her head back against the wall. It was then she realised that his breaths were just as ragged.

"Izzie died in my arms." He ignored her shaky intake of breath. "I ignore the DNR and resuscitated her anyway. She came back. She's alive and going to be okay. But George…" His voice cracked. "There was this John Doe. He was hit by a bus, while pushing a stranger to safety. He was mangled and all messed up. And then, um, then John Doe bus guy was George. He spoke to Meredith and he was George and Izzie was dying in my arms and he was dying in surgery. Izzie came back from the dead but Bambi didn't. George is dead."

"O'Malley is dead. George is dead." Addison repeated.

"Yeah." Alex exhaled on the other end of the line.

A sob made its way out of her throat. "God, life sucks."

"It really sucks." He echoed.

"We're still breathing." She whispered as she let the sobs take over her body and she hung up the phone.

* * *

Addison sat on her deck, and watched the ocean as the sun set. She was trying to push her worries about Violet and Lucas to the back of her head when her cell rang. "Alex."

"Seattle Grace is merging with Mercy West."

She sighed. "I know, Callie told me." She paused. "Is there going to be staffing cuts?"

"I assume so. Everyone's gone crazy trying to not be cut." She hummed in sympathy. "Izzie came back to work and did a 5 hour surgery."

"That's very soon." She stated carefully. "Was she ready?"

"No." He snapped, sighing when he heard her soft intake of breath. "No. She was scared. We're all scared."

She picked up her glass of wine and drank it all down in one. "Violet gave her baby to Pete. She gave Lucas up. We're all scared."

"What if I get fired?" He sounded vulnerable and it caused a dull ache to spread through her. She chased the feeling with another glass of wine, choosing instead to focus on the warmth the alcohol caused.

"You won't. You're really damn good." Addison stated.

He chuckled softly. "It's good to know you have faith in me, Addie."

"I'll always have faith in you, Alex, honey." She paused for a second. "If you get fired, I'll hire you. I could do with an assistant. Someone to get me coffee and stuff."

He let out a snort and she smiled. "You always know the right thing to say." He was silent for a moment. "Izzie's still living with cancer. But she's living and going to stay that way."

"Violet is living with PTSD. But she's alive."

"We'll be okay too." His voice lacked conviction.

"We'll be okay too." She echoed, her own voice devoid of emotion as she hung up the phone. She dug her feet into the sand, enjoying the feeling of the damp sand against her as she ignored the tears running down her face. She was really beginning to wonder about them being okay.

* * *

"Izzie got fired. She left me." The words came through the phone as soon as she answered the call.

"I know." She whispered softly. "Miranda's here. She told me."

"Oh right, the kidney patient."

"Yeah." She breathed. "Alex, honey, are you okay?"

"No." He spat out. "No, I am not okay."

She nodded slowly as a silence fell between them. "Miranda says she struggles to find the joy anymore. That she's glass half empty now."

He let out a snort at that. "I get the same feeling sometimes."

"I wonder that myself." She agreed.

"Anything screwed up happening to you?"

"The patient whose husband I almost had the affair with turned up in my office in front of Miranda and asked if I screwed her husband." She said with a sigh. He started laughing. "Alex, it's not funny." She snapped at him.

"Sorry." He chuckled. "What did Bailey say to that?"

She sighed. "I told her I didn't do anything. That I stopped it before I did anything. That I did the right thing." Her voice cracked slightly and a few tears escaped her.

He hummed and softened his tone as he heard the tears in her voice. "Addie, baby, what did Bailey say?"

"That I did the wrong thing as soon as we had emotional relationship not involving his wife. That I did the wrong thing as I fell in love with him."

"Love is crappy like that. It blurs all the lines. It makes things messy."

She let out a wry chuckle. "Speaking from experience?"

"My wife's left me." He sounds resigned.

"I had an affair with a married man." Her tone of voice was the same.

They were silent for a few minutes, listen to each other breath over the phone.

"I miss you, Addie." He admitted.

"I miss you too." She breathed.

They stayed on the phone, listening to each other for a few minutes more before she hung up. She pushed herself off the kitchen counter and headed back outside to where Bailey was waiting for her, with a raised eyebrow and a questioning gaze at the tears on her face. She didn't say anything, just held her glass out to her for a refill.

She took a sip of her drink as she watched the ocean, then turned to look at Bailey. "I'm glass half empty too." She admitted and Bailey gave her a small nod, raising her glass to hers.

* * *

"Alex?" Addison's voice was sleep filled as she answered her cell phone, wrapping the covers tighter around herself.

"I'm saving a baby's life right now." He whispered.

She frowned. "You better not be calling me from the OR."

He chuckled quietly. "No, there was this preemie, and it didn't look like she was going to make it. There was nothing more we could do and I thought she deserved to be held at least, so I picked her up. And her stats improved."

"Kangaroo hold." She muttered, sounding slightly more alert.

"Kangaroo hold." He confirmed.

"Wow, Alex, honey, that's amazing." She smiled.

"I know." He paused slightly. "This is the first time that I've thought everything may end up okay."

She laughed softly. "You saved a baby."

"I saved a baby, Addie." He laughed breathlessly along with her, following into a comfortable silence. "How is your crap anyway?"

She was silent for a moment. "I got a cat."

He laughed in shock. "Okay?"

"I had a terminal cancer patient and she left me her cat to look after. So I've given up men and decided to become a crazy cat lady instead."

"I'm proud of you Addie." He paused. "Bailey made me take my shirt off in front of everyone."

She laughed. "I wish I was there to see that."

"I bet you do. Who wouldn't want to see that?"

"Pig." She muttered into her pillow.

"I'm sorry for waking you."

"I'm not." She admitted. "I needed this."

He was quiet for a moment and she wondered whether to hang up, when he spoke again. "Addie…baby…I hope you know that I still believe you will find someone who deserves you. Just don't give up hope because you are an extraordinary woman."

"You're a great guy, Alex." She whispered. "The best guy I know, you'll find someone too."

With that he hung up the phone and she rolled over, drifting off to sleep with a small smile on her face.

* * *

Addison knew Alex would be at work and so debated whether to call him. She sat hugging her knees against her kitchen counter, tears streaming down her face as she clutched her cell in her hand. It usually didn't bother her, phoning him at work, but she needed to talk to him so desperately she wasn't sure what she would do if he didn't pick up. She pressed the call button, taking a deep breath and holding it while she listened to the phone ring.

She let out the breath she had been holding when she heard the line connect. "I don't want to be unsupportive but I'm swamped at the moment. I've got a couple minutes why I'm waiting for the CT. So shoot, quickly though."

She didn't say anything just started sobbing harder. She tried to catch her breath and calm down but she choked on her tears. "I…um…I…Alex."

"Baby?" She heard the panic in his voice and tried to respond, unable to stop the sobs that wracked her body. She heard someone else in the background but couldn't work out what they were saying. "Baby you need to calm down, deep breaths for me. In and out. You hear me? You're okay, I'm here. Just in and out."

"Alex, is it Izzie? Are you okay? Is she okay?" She realised the voice belonged to Meredith but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"It's not Izzie. Look, Mer, can you handle this patient? I need to take this call. I need a minute."

"Sure, Alex. Whatever you need." She heard the confusion in Meredith's voice.

"Okay, Addie. You need to breathe. Come on baby. Talk to me, talk to me. I have all the time in the world for you. So just breathe."

She felt his words start to calm her and she managed to choke out a sentence. "Kara died. She had her baby and she died."

"Addie, baby, who's Kara?" She heard him sigh softly. "I want to help you but I don't know what's going on. You need to explain."

"I was on a hike with Sam when we found this couple, they were, they had been in, um, in a car crash. There was no cell service." She stopped abruptly when another round of sobs worked through her body. "She was pregnant and trapped in the car, he had a severe leg laceration. We put a pressure dressing on it. Sam was going to go for help but then Jake's lung collapsed. We put in a chest tube but he had to keep opening it every half hour so I was going to have to go between the two of them. I climbed into the car to check on Kara but it started moving and I was so scared, Alex, I thought I was going to die."

"Oh Addie. You're okay though, baby. You're alive."

"We hit a tree so the car stopped but I was stuck in there as well and then she went into labor and the baby was breech and Sam went to get help. I had to turn the baby internally and she was _screaming_ in pain and it was dark and Jake was talking to us, but his tube could clog any second and I was so scared, I was so so scared."

"Keep breathing, Addie. You're doing great." He soothed.

"She gave birth to the baby, and then Jake stopped talking but then help arrived and he was alive, they were airlifting him out." She took a shaky breath. "Kara was so grateful. She said she was going to name her daughter Addison. They, um, they started to cut Kara out but the door had tamponaded an arm wound and she was bleeding out and I tried to stop it I did. I tried to save her, I tried so hard. There was just so much blood." She dissolved into tears again as Alex hushed her.

"You did your best, Addie. And your best is amazing. If anyone else had found that couple they'd both be dead, the baby too. You know that. You pulled off a miracle, Addie. You know that."

"I know." She cried. "I know."

He stayed on the line, hushing her gently until her sobs subsided into steady tears. "Addie?" She hummed in acknowledgement. "You need to promise me something. Promise me you won't get into anymore cars that could crash. Promise me you'll stay safe and stay alive, because I don't think I can cope without you. I don't think I'll survive without you."

"Okay." She whispered. "You're not allowed to die on me either, Alex. I need you, honey. So stay alive."

He sighed. "We're both still breathing."

"We are." She agreed, softly.

"I need to go back to work, try and get some sleep Addie." He paused. "If you need me again, call me. Even if I'm in surgery, I'll do my best to be there."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So i know I said 3-shot, but it turns out it was really mean to be a 4-parter. I'm really glad everyone seems to like this story, I'm enjoying writing their phone call relationship so much, and it's fun to write in a completely different style to A Year or a Day. Anyway, keep letting me know what you think, I love and appreciate each and every review! x**

"Izzie came back." Alex said as she picked up the phone.

"That's…good?" She said hesitantly.

"Yes. No." He answered. "It's good because I know she's alive and safe and whatever. She didn't come back to see me though. She didn't want to see me. She didn't care about the fact that I am her _husband._ Or the fact she left me with more hospital bills than I can afford. She came back as she wanted Shepherd to operate on her old high school teacher. This is so screwed up."

She sighed. "Did you speak to her? Ask why she left?"

"She blames me for being fired." He snapped."She thought it was my fault. Didn't even give me the benefit of the doubt. I'm supposed to be her husband."

She stayed silent for a moment. "That's really sucky." She finally said.

He laughed at that. "You're getting worse at the advice."

"My life is a mess. You don't want advice from me."

"We're both pretty messed up." He paused. "I'm going to be bankrupt."

"I know this is going to piss you off but I can give you the money. I am a millionaire and I don't want you living on the street or anything."

"I'm not going to get pissed off." She scoffed. "Okay, I am, internally. But I really don't want to live on the street so if I can't find an insurance loophole, I might just take you up on that. As much as I hate it."

"As much as you hate it." She echoed. There was a tense silence between the two of them and she broke it with a sigh. "Do you want to hear how Addison Forbes Montgomery did something crappy once again?"

He let out a chuckle. "Always."

"I kissed Sam. After the accident, when I stopped crying, I went out on my deck. Sam came over and I kissed him. I kissed my best friend's ex-husband. And why not? I screwed my husband's best friend. I am a terrible person." She rambled.

He laughed again. "You really know how to cheer me up."

"Alex." She whined.

"Fine. Fine." He sighed. "You are not a terrible person. You are actually pretty amazing. You just make some crappy decisions sometimes."

"Jeez, thanks." She rolled her eyes.

He chuckled. "All I'm saying is you were emotional. And everyone screws up sometimes. No one's perfect."

"Worst thing is, I actually think I really like him." She whispered.

"Of course you do." He said softly. "You've known him since med school, he's one of your best friends. It's natural."

"You're right." She admitted.

He laughed. "Did the great Dr Addison Forbes Montgomery just admit that a lowly resident was right? Are you sick?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it…" She muttered but she laughed as she hung up the phone.

* * *

Addison tapped her foot impatiently while she waited for Alex to answer his phone. She was hiding in a supply closet in the hospital, dressed in her Yale hoodie and sweatpants, feeling so far removed from the Addison she usually was.

"Hey." He greets when he picks up.

"Heather's dead." She blurts. "Dell, the midwife at the practice with the 6 year old daughter, Heather is his wife and the mother. She was a, um, was a drug addict. Dell left the house to go to work, Heather apparently decided to start cooking meth with her 6 year old daughter in the house. Fast forward through an explosion, Heather's dead, Betsey made it through without any lasting damage, except the fact she no longer has a mother."

"Jesus." He breathed. "That's really screwed up."

"Yeah." She was silent for a moment. "Want to hear the worst thing about it all?" He hummed in acknowledgement. "All I can think about is how Bizzy's a lesbian but I can't talk about that as that makes me a selfish bitch."

"Who's Bizzy?" He asked curiously.

"My mother." She let out a harsh laugh. "My mother is a lesbian."

"Wow." He paused for a moment. "Your life is really screwed up, Addie. Gives mine a run for it's money."

She started laughing alongside him, sinking down to sit on the floor of the closet. They laughed for a few minutes, until hers trailed off and even she was surprised by the tears running down her face. "Addie? Baby, are you okay?"

"Since the age of 8, I have been covering for my father and the countless woman he slept with and I've been so angry, I've hated him for doing that to my mother. Today, I found out my mother had been having an affair with her PA, Susan, for 20 years. I've been mad at the wrong parent my whole life." She was silent for a moment. "No wonder I am a cheater, it's in my DNA."

"That's crap and you know it." He scoffed. "You are not a cheater Addie. You cheated once, you made a mistake and you screwed up. So what? Everyone screws up sometimes."

She gave a small laugh. "I screw up a lot though. Pretty much all the damn time."

"Don't you make me give you the whole 'you're an amazing person' speech again, Addie. It's getting boring."

"Jeez, thanks, Alex." Addison snapped.

"Sorry." He sighed. "I'll do it anyway. You're an amazing person. The best person I know, the kindest, smartest, most beautiful woman I know. Baby, it doesn't matter if you make one mistake, you are not your parents, you are Addie. And Addie is pretty damn great."

She let out a chuckle and leaned her head against the door. "Thanks, Alex, honey. I needed that."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither willing to hang up. "I'm lonely, Addie." He whispered.

"I'm lonely as well." With that she hung up, taking a few more minutes to compose herself, before standing up and leaving the supply closet.

* * *

"You were in Seattle and you didn't tell me." Alex's voice was accusing as she answered her cell phone, sipping her wine as she sat on the deck in the dark.

"I know." She sighed.

"Why?" He sounded hurt and she flinched at his tone.

"I don't know." She whispered.

"Addie." He warned.

"I didn't tell you because I was scared you wouldn't want to see me or you wouldn't care or something."

"That's stupid." Alex said after a moment.

"Yeah." She agreed. "I'm stupid sometimes."

"I hear Sloan's pretty stupid too. Not trusting you to do the surgery when you were here."

She chuckled at that. "Well, he followed me all the way to LA with his tail between his legs so I think he figured that out."

He was quiet for a moment. "You slept with him again."

"How did you know?!" Addison felt her face turn red and she spluttered slightly on the sip of wine she had taken.

"It's you and Sloan." He stated as though it was obvious.

She huffed. "I hate that you're right."

"You know I usually am." He chuckled. "So how did it go?"

"The sex?" She asked drily, feeling a small sense of accomplishment when she heard him stutter uncomfortably. "Mark told me he wanted to move to LA and raise Sloane's baby with me. Said it was our second chance." She laughed as Alex started coughing loudly on the other end of the line. "Yeah, that was how I felt too."

"What did you say?" He asked when he managed to calm down.

"I asked him if he would still want me if there wasn't a baby." She sighed. "The truth is I'm so sad and lonely and freaked out that if I actually thought he meant it I might've said yes. How pathetic is that?" She let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle. "But he is in love with that Grey girl and I'm still alone."

"Oh, Addie. You're not alone. I still think you'll find someone." He sounded sad for her, and she scoffed lightly. "I slept with that Grey girl."

"What? When?" She asked in shock.

"A couple of hours ago. We were both lonely."

"Alex." She scolded. "You better not be calling me while in bed with another woman again."

"No." He laughed, sounding somewhat sheepish. "I'm in the bathroom."

She laughed at that. "You are unbelievable."

"Coming from the woman who slept with Mark Sloan _again._ " He shot back.

"You may have a point." She conceded. "I haven't told you the worst part of my day yet."

"Oh?"

"My 15 year old goddaughter, Maya- Naomi and Sam's daughter- came to me at the end of the night and told me she was pregnant."

"Wow." Alex said. "That's messed up."

"Yeah." She agreed, they were silent for a few minutes more. "We're still okay, right? You're not too pissed at me?"

She heard him sigh on the other side of the phone. "We're okay Addie."

"Good." She let out a sigh of relief.

"Good." He echoed before hanging up.

* * *

She answered her cell as she tucked into her salad. "Two phone calls in two days? Wow, Alex, honey, I'm flattered."

"Izzie came back. Wanted to work our marriage out." He blurted.

"What?! After all this time?"

He chuckled quietly. "Yeah that was pretty much my reaction."

She was quiet for a moment. "Why now?"

"Meredith called and told her that I might be moving on. Apparently, I am not allowed to do that." She ate her salad and waited for him to continue, trying to convince herself that the anger she felt was a perfectly normal friendly reaction. "She had a PET scan while she was here. It was clear."

"She's cancer free?" He hummed in agreement. "That's good news."

"It is." He agreed. "She said it was like it never happened."

"But it did."

"It did." He paused. "I am a good guy."

"I know. I tell you all the time." She laughed slightly.

"I deserve better than someone who would leave me after I stuck through a crappy disease. I deserve someone who will stick by me. I am a good guy." She could hear the tears in his voice.

"You're a good guy." She echoed. "Did you tell her that?"

"Yeah." He breathed. "I told her that I was glad she was okay and that she should go be okay and be happy and not come back."

"Oh, Alex, honey." She was silent for a moment "Are you okay?"

"No." He admitted. "But I will be."

She was silent for a few moments, eating more of her salad. "Did you ever tell Meredith who called you that day?" She asked out of the blue.

"No." He chuckled. "I just avoided her."

She laughed. "No one knows we're, um, friends." The word felt heavy rolling off her tongue, she knew that 'friends' wasn't the right word for whatever they were.

"No one knows we're friends." He responded.

"Do you think this is weird?" She asked curiously.

He chuckled. "You're asking me this after a year and a half?"

"Yes." She laughed softly along with him.

"It's weird." He said. "But Addie, you better not stop calling me."

"As long as you don't stop calling me, Alex."

"Deal."

"Deal." She smiled as she felt warmth spread through her as she hung up the phone.

* * *

Addison snuck out of her bed and onto the balcony, wrapping the bed sheet around her as she accepted the call on her cell phone. "Hey."

"Hey." He repeated.

"How are you screwed up today?" She asked.

"I'm dating Little Grey." He paused. "How are you screwed up?"

"I just slept with Pete." She leant over the railing and watched the ocean. "So, you and Little Grey?"

"She's still in love with Sloan. I'm getting a divorce."

She snorted. "Sounds healthy."

He ignored her comment. "So, you and Pete?"

"He's still in love with Violet. I think I'm in love with Sam."

He chuckled and repeated her earlier comment. "Sounds healthy."

She laughed slightly at that, content to continue watching the ocean in silence for a moment.

"Addie, you're not still in bed with him are you?"

She scoffed. "Like you'd be one to talk." She paused. "But no. I'm on my balcony. Practically naked."

"I'm thinking we should video chat in future."

She laughed at that. "Ass."

"Tease." He shot back.

They were quiet for a few more moments. "We are screwed up." She said, breaking the silence.

"Are you really in love with your best friend's ex-husband?" He asked curiously.

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know." She admitted. "He's hot, a good kisser, one of my best friends and off limits." She paused. "Are you still in love with Izzie?"

"I don't know if I ever was." He sighed. "She was my best friend and I loved her. I'm just not sure if I was in love with her." They fell silent once again.

"We're screwed up." He stated.

"What are we doing?" She asked as she sighed.

"Who the Hell knows?" He shot back with a laugh, and she smiled at that.

He hung up and she stayed outside, content to stare at the ocean for a few more minutes.

* * *

Addison stood on her balcony as she dialled Alex's number. "Hey, Alex."

"You sound like crap."

"Jeez, Alex, kick a girl while she's down." She said, before blowing her nose.

He chuckled. "Seriously, Addie. Baby, what's wrong with you?"

"I spent all day looking after Pete's sick baby."

"So, you and him are together now?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah." She sneezed. "Are you and Little Grey still together?"

"Yeah." He said. "What's the baby like?"

She laughed at this and a smile appeared on her face, despite herself. "Lucas is great. I spent all day looking after him and I was doing a crappy job and he wouldn't stop crying and I had a small mental breakdown. I'm a baby doctor! I should have kicked ass at it."

"Then what happened?" He asked softly.

"I got him to stop crying. I actually did it." She laughed softly. "I love that kid so damn much."

"What about Pete?"

She sighed. "I got into bed, he was half asleep and ill with a fever. He said 'I love you Violet'."

"That's rough." He said and she snorted at the understatement. "Do you love him?"

"I could, one day." She paused as she blew her nose again. "What about Little Grey?"

"She's still in love with Sloan, but I guess I could, one day."

She sniffed slightly, choosing not to dwell on whether it was because of the flu or emotion. "Do you think that it will be enough?"

He sighed. "I really don't know." He paused. "Be careful, Addie. Try not to get hurt."

She hummed lightly. "Don't you go getting hurt either, Alex."

"Do you ever wonder if we would've worked back then? If I hadn't been an ass."

She felt the air leave her lungs. "All the time." She whispered.

"Me too." He admitted, quietly.

She slid down onto the floor of the balcony, resting her head on the railings. "What do you think?"

"We were different people then. I, um, wasn't good enough. I would have messed up."

She ignored the tears running down her face. "You're probably right." She gave a small laugh. "And now, we're with other people."

"Now, we're with other people." He conceded. "I can't imagine my life without you in it." He admits.

"I can't imagine my life without you, either, Alex."

She hung up the phone and stayed sat on the balcony, letting the tears work their way through her system. When they finally subsided she went back inside, slipping into bed beside Pete.

* * *

"My brother showed up in Seattle today."

She had a wry smile on her face as she thought back to their similar conversation last year. "And that's bad how exactly?"

"Haha, Addie, you're very funny." He deadpanned.

"I know, I'm freaking hilarious." She quipped. "So, brother in Seattle, catch me up."

"Haven't seen in him in 7 years, turns up with an umbilical hernia and a big mouth spilling personal crap to the whole hospital." He summarised.

She sipped her wine. "Sounds fun."

"Yeah, it was a hoot."

"Did the surgery go well?" She asked, avoiding asking about the personal crap she really wanted to know.

"Yeah." He sighed. "Bailey did it pro-bono. Whole thing went without a hitch."

"Well, don't sound too happy about it." She teased.

"I'm not in the mood, Addie." He snapped and she was quiet for a second before she heard him sigh. "Sorry."

"I'll forgive you this time, honey." She topped up her wine glass.

"It just brings up crap that I don't like to think about, stuff from the past." He scoffed. "And now Bailey and Meredith and God knows who else knows that stuff too."

"Did they say anything to you about it?" She said cautiously.

He sighed. "They looked at me differently."

She sipped at her wine. "They care about you. I mean, it sucks they know whatever it is they know when you weren't ready for them to. But they care, so it's not the end of the world."

"Right." He chuckled. "Addie, baby, I appreciate you trying so hard not to ask me what it is he told everyone but it's painfully obvious you want to know."

"I figured you'd tell me if you wanted to." She said sheepishly.

"You're right." He paused. "You understand me better than anyone else."

"I know. I'm that good." She laughed.

"You're very full of yourself today." He observed.

"Well I am an awesome doctor with mad surgical skills." She stated.

She could sense his frown from over the line. "It's scary. This bright and shiny thing, I'm not buying it."

She drank more wine. "That's because it's complete crap but you can't kill a girl for trying."

He laughed at that. "It's fake. You can tell. Well I can anyway."

She chuckled slightly. "It was fun while it lasted."

They were silent for a while before he broke it. "I was a foster kid. Went through 17 foster homes in 5 years. My dad wasn't a good guy and my mom, she did her best, but she is schizophrenic, we didn't really have meds or anything. I got caught stealing food for my little brother and sister when I was 11, ended up in juvie. When I was 17, and my dad went to hit my mom again, I hit back and he left. Never came back."

She sipped her wine. "Life sucks." She offers.

"Yeah, yeah it really does." He sighed.

"What did Miranda talk you into doing for the pro-bono?" She asked curiously.

"I'm scheduling her surgeries for a month." He paused when he heard her laugh. "What?"

She put her wine down and lay back on the deck, looking at the stars. "She would have done it for nothing."

"Seriously?" He chuckled. "Damn it."

"Alex?" He hummed in acknowledgement. "You turned out good, honey."

He was silent and she worried she pushed him too far. "Thanks, Addie." His voice was thick with tears. "You, thinking I'm a good guy, means a lot. Makes me believe."

She closed her eyes and squeezed them tightly shut. "That's because you are. I'm always right."

"Stay on the phone for a bit longer?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly.

"Okay." She whispered.

"Okay." He echoed.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So I finally finished this story! This is based on the hospital shooting, so one event is quite dragged out! Hope you like it and think it's a good ending, it's a bit cheesy but I just couldn't help myself! Please let me know what you think of this last part and the whole thing! Thank you to each and everyone of you who has taken the time to read and review this, I really appreciate it x**

Addison stood on the beach outside her house, with tears running down her face, feeling the waves washing over feet. She took a deep breath and dialled Alex's number, launching into what she had to say as soon as she heard the line pick up.

"I broke up with Pete, he's back with Violet. Maya went into labour and Dell was driving her to the hospital, they were hit by a drunk driver. I had to operate to save Maya and the baby and I did, I pulled off a freaking miracle. But Dell, God Dell…he had a brain bleed. He didn't make it. And all I have to say is life is too short. Alex, honey, I know you are with Little Grey, but I have to say this. I love you. I am completely and utterly in love with you. And it feels so good to say it out loud." She laughed breathlessly, in spite of the tears.

"Addison? Is that you?"

"Mark?" She froze with her hand halfway through her hair. "Mark, why do you have Alex's phone? What happened? Where is he?"

She heard him sigh on the other end of the line and her whole body felt numb. "Addie, there was a shooting at the hospital. A lot of people were shot. Some doctors from Mercy West didn't make it. Derek, Derek got a bullet to the heart and Yang had to operate at gunpoint. He's going to be okay." She felt a sob rip from her body. "Karev was one of the first shot. We were on lockdown, the gunman was still in the hospital. Me and Lexie had to operate on him in one of the trauma rooms. But it looks good. He's going to make it."

She collapsed onto the floor as sobs overtook her body, ignoring the ocean soaking through her clothes. "You couldn't have, you couldn't have led with that, jackass." She managed to get out.

He let out an expressionless laugh. "Sorry, I'm not really in my right mind at the moment."

"I need to be there." She choked out the words. "I'm coming to Seattle."

She hung up the phone without a word, dragging herself up out of the water, stumbling into her house. She saw Amelia stand up as she walked into the kitchen.

"Addie, are you okay? I know that's a stupid question as Dell just died and all. But you're soaking wet so I need to ask."

"Amelia." Her voice cracked as more tears escaped her. "Amelia we're going to Seattle."

"Addie what are you on about? You're scaring me."

"There was a shooting at Seattle Grace. Derek was shot, he's alive. Alex was shot too." Her sentence ended on a sob.

"What?" Amelia whispered. "Who is Alex? Is he dead?"

"He's not dead. Amelia pack a bag, we're going to Seattle."

* * *

Addison walked up to the desk at Seattle Presbyterian, having dropped Amelia off at Seattle Grace to see Derek on the way. Her tears hadn't stopped all the way through the 3 hour flight, though the sobs had subsided into steady tears.

She stopped a nurse at the desk. "Can you tell me where I can find Dr Alex Karev?"

The nurse looked up confused. "I'm sorry I haven't heard of him, does he work here?"

"No, he works at Seattle Grace." Her voice cracked. "He was shot, he's a, um, he's a patient here."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." The nurse turned to the computer to look up his room number. "It's just terrible what happened there."

"Yeah." She muttered.

"Okay. He's in recovery. Go the the elevator, press third floor, turn left and follow the corridor all the way down."

Addison nodded her thanks as she followed the directions. She stopped in the doorway when she saw Alex, he looked pale and he had more wires and tubes coming off him than she wanted to think about. But as she stood there she could see his chest rise and fall and she let out a big sob, breaking down again.

"Addie, baby, what are you doing here?" Her eyes flicked to his face and she walks into his room, perching on the edge of his bed, resting her hand over his heart.

"I called you but Mark answered."

"Oh." He said, inching his hand forward, his fingers resting on her thigh.

"You promised me you wouldn't get hurt." She accused.

He chuckled and then winced at the pain that ran through him. "I didn't plan on getting shot Addie."

She turned and glared at him, the tears causing it to lose its effect. He reached his arm up and brushed a few of the tears away.

"Do want to lie with me?" She nodded and he shifted over slightly, she curled up on his uninjured side. They lay there in silence for a few minutes.

"Addie? What were you calling me for tonight?" He whispered.

"I broke up with Pete, he's with Violet. Drunk driver hit Maya and Dell. I had to operate on Maya and the baby and I managed to save them both. Dell had a brain haemorrhage and didn't make it." She broke down in tears, her body shaking as she sobbed into Alex's chest.

He gently stroked her hair the best he could, hushing her lightly. "Oh, Addie, I'm so sorry. I know you liked him. He sounded like a good guy and a good father."

"It's not that." She murmured through her tears. "Well it is. But it's not."

"Baby, you need to calm down. You're not making sense."

"You were shot." She whispered and then pulled back slightly looking down at him. "You got shot!" She yelled. "You promised me you would stay safe. You promised me you wouldn't get hurt. You are not allowed to do that to me, you hear me! You are not allowed to get shot! You are not allowed to leave me. I don't know how to live my life without you in it!"

Alex pulled her back down, pressing his lips to hers for a long, hard kiss, ignoring the taste of her tears. She pulled back and looked at him in shock, before leaning in and kissing him softly again and again. She settled back against his chest and he held her as tight as he could. "I'm so sorry, baby. I am so so sorry. I know I promised, I know." He murmured into her hair, waiting for her tears to subside to a more manageable level. "So, how shocked was Mark that you were calling me?"

She chuckled in spite of her tears. "If he wasn't already in so much shock from the crazed gunman thing, I think me calling your phone and announcing I'm in love with you would have given him a heart attack."

"You're…you're in love with me?" Alex stuttered.

"Oh, did I forgot to tell you that part?"

He prodded her shoulder. "Addie." He scolded.

She propped herself up and looked down at him. "I thought it was obvious. I love you so much, Alex honey." She brushed her lips against his.

He smirked slightly at her. "You're right it was."

She frowned at him. "That's all you have to say? Seriously Alex?" She looked panicked for a moment. "Oh God, I haven't read too much into it, have I? You're not in love with Little Grey or something?"

He pulled her down for another kiss, chuckling at her. "It's all I have to say because I thought it was obvious." She lightly hit his uninjured side and he sobered up. "I am so in love with you Addie. For the first time in so long, I am not lonely or scared or anything else but happy. And that sounds really damn strange as I was literally shot and dying in a hostage situation earlier. But the truth is, for the first time in almost 2 years, I am not missing you. The woman I love is right here in my arms."

He stopped when she leaned in and kissed him, hard and passionate at first, then trailing off into a softer sweeter kiss, which she broke breathless. "That was the cheesiest thing ever." She muttered against his lips.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just shut up and let me hold you Addie."

She laid back down, curling her body around him, resting her head on him as the exhaustion of the day caught up with them. "You were shot." She whispered as she felt herself about to drift off.

"I'm still breathing." He reassured.

Then she smiled slightly. "You love me, we're in love." She closed her eyes. "Don't leave me."

He grabbed her hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. "I don't plan on it baby. I know we're going to work out this time."

"Good." She muttered.

"Good." He echoed.

* * *

Addison opened her eyes a few hours later, when she heard voices at the end of the bed.

"Is that Addison? She's meant to be in LA!"

Addison groaned internally as she heard Meredith's voice. "Yes, Meredith, it is me."

Both Meredith and Cristina jumped slightly as they saw the woman they were discussing, awake and sitting up on the bed. "Oh, Addison, hello."

She smiled at the uncomfortable looks on their faces. "Hello, Meredith. Yang." She frowned. "I thought you'd be with Derek, is everything okay?"

They were both still eyeing Addison warily as Meredith responded. "One of his sisters was there, I was giving them time. Plus, I needed to check on Alex."

Cristina nudged Meredith. "Looks like someone beat you to it." Addison heard her mutter.

Just as Addison opened her mouth to say something in response, Alex started to stir next to her. "Addie, are you okay?"

She smiled down at him and ran her fingers through his short hair, dropping a kiss on his forehead. "Yeah, honey. Your friends are here to see you."

He looked over to where Meredith and Cristina and saw them raise their eyebrows as they looked between the two of them.

"I'll give you some time to talk if you want." Addison offered as she made to get up, before being stopped by Alex's hand on her arm.

"Addie, you don't have to go. Don't leave yet." She complied and settled back on the bed, entwining her fingers with his, as Alex turned his attention to Meredith. "How's Shepherd doing?"

"Good. Or as good to be expected when…yeah." Meredith trailed off.

"And you two?"

"Shouldn't we be asking you that, Evil Spawn?" Cristina asked, but it lacked the bite it usually did.

Alex let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I was shot. But I was shot so early I didn't even know there was a gunman." His voiced wavered slightly and Addison squeezed his hand. "So beyond the fact Shepherd was shot, I don't know much else. Like what happened to you two."

Meredith and Cristina shared a pain filled glance and as they moved to sit in the chairs next to the bed. "We saw it. I saw it." Meredith whispered. "Derek was shot right in front of me and I couldn't do anything."

Alex reached his other hand out and took Meredith's in his. Addison stayed silent and tried to pretend like she wasn't there.

Cristina jumped in, her voice sounded hollow and clinical. "We moved him to an OR, I thought Teddy was still down there. She wasn't. I, um, I had to operate."

Alex breathed in sharply at that, causing him to let out a grunt of pain and Addison to softly kiss his forehead. "Wow, Yang. Solo heart surgery." He said, as though it was any other case and all of them didn't have tears running down their faces.

"Yeah." She muttered. "Anyway, he, um, found us. While I was operating. Held a gun to me and told me if I didn't stop he'd shoot me. Owen came in as well, to try and talk him down. Meredith walked in from the scrub room. She-" Meredith shook her head to cut her off.

"Mer?" Alex asked.

"I, um, I begged him to shoot me instead." Meredith said with a sob and this time Addison breathed in sharply, but it went unnoticed by the rest of them. "Anyway, he didn't. He shot Owen in the shoulder. Cristina and Jackson pretended Derek was dead so he would leave. He did. Cristina saved Derek. I operated on Owen. That's it."

"That's it." Cristina echoed. Alex and Addison both gave small nods, choosing to ignore the uneasy glance that passed between the pair. "Anyway, why are you here Dr Montgomery?"

Addison just shrugged. "To see Alex." Alex chuckled at that and turned his head to look at her, brushing his lips against hers.

'Oh my God." Meredith said slowly. "Are you mysterious phone girl?" Alex smirked as Addison laughed. "You are!"

"She's mysterious phone girl?" Cristina asked. "Damn."

"Are you two together now?" Meredith asked, looking between them.

Addison just smiled at Alex, who grinned back at her as he answered. "Yeah."

"What about 3?" Cristina asked as Addison raised her eyebrow curiously.

"Lexie is back with Mark." Meredith said. "I bumped into them on the way here."

"That's good." Addison said with a small smile. "They're meant to be together."

Alex nudged her side gently. "I always knew you weren't Satan." He teased and she bent down to kiss him. Cristina fake gagged and Meredith rolled her eyes at them.

* * *

Later, after the others had left, Addison lay on the bed with Alex, listening to his even breaths. She sighed as she thought about all that had happened over the last 48 hours and yet couldn't help a small smile forming on her face. In spite of all the horrible things that had happened, for the first there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Something good to come out of all the bad.

"You're thinking too loudly." Alex grumbled.

"I thought you were asleep."

"No." Alex sighed. "Altman is going to be round to check on me soon, anyway."

Addison linked her fingers through his and tipped her head back to look at him, brushing the underside of his jaw with a kiss. "Well, hey."

He smiled at her. "Hey, Addie."

She laughed lightly. "I love you, honey." He didn't respond, just stared at her. "Alex?"

"Marry me." He said simply and she stared at him in shock.

"What?"

"We should get married. We've already wasted so much time baby."

Addison let out a slightly manic laugh. "We've been a couple for all of a few hours. Up until 48 hours ago, we were with other people. And you want to get married?"

Alex chuckled at her freak out. "Addie, we've practically been in a relationship for the last year and a half. You know more about me than anyone else, you understand me more than anyone else. I _love_ you. And like you said: life is too short. Marry me."

Addison frowned. "I live in LA."

Alex shrugged the best he could from the bed. "Move back. Or I'll move there."

"I want kids."

"I've listened to you babble on about Lucas. I know you want kids. We'll have kids."

She smiled at him sheepishly. "I don't have anymore reasons."

He gave her a cocky grin. "So as soon as I get out this damn hospital…"

She returned his grin. "I'll marry you."

He pulled her down and kissed her hard. "We're getting married."

She laughed. "We are. We must be crazy."

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "You're so beautiful. You have no idea how much I wish I wasn't shot and bed bound right now."

"Pig." She rolled her eyes. "The fact that you're shot and bed bound is the only reason I'm here right now."

"You're here because you love me." He said, cockily.

She just grinned back. "I do. We are getting married, honey."

"We are."

She kissed him, just lightly at first but quickly becoming deeper and more heated moaning into his mouth, only pulling apart when Alex gasped slightly in pain.

"Alex, I'm sorry!" Addison looked at him worriedly.

He smirked and winked at her. "No need to apologise, Addie. I wouldn't want to rush anyway."

"We're getting married Alex. Hardly rushing." She pointed out.

"You always have to be right, don't you?" He teased lightly.

She couldn't help but grin at him. "You know, I think we'll work out this time. Provided you're not an ass again."

"Good to know. I don't plan on either of us needing a second divorce."

She rolled her eyes and kissed him. "I can't believe I'm going to be your wife."

"As soon as possible. I'd marry you right now if I could."

Addison grinned at that. "When you're discharged. Me. You. City hall."

"Deal."

"Deal." He echoed.

* * *

"I've landed." Addison said as soon as she heard the familiar click of the phone connecting.

That was one thing that hadn't changed in their relationship: they still didn't feel the need to greet each other when they answered the phone. She smiled at the familiarity of it.

"Alright, I'm waiting for you, _wifey_."

She grinned, as she stood in front of baggage claim. "Don't call me that."

"Sorry, baby." He laughed, sounding completely insincere. "You are though."

"I am." She spotted her bag come on to the carousel and moved forward. "When you first called me 2 years ago did you ever think we'd end up here?"

"With you as my unbelievably hot wife, who is moving back to Seattle to be with me forever?" She hummed in agreement. "Addie, I thought you'd hang up." He admitted.

She let out a light laugh at that as she grabbed her bag. "I won't say it didn't cross my mind, honey. But then you always hung up first."

"Sorry about that." He chuckled, and she walked towards where she knew he'd be. "So… does life still suck for you?"

A big smile crossed her face as Alex came into view. "Hmm… not so much."

He spotted her and an identical smile made its way across his face. "Yeah." He breathed. "Not so much for me too."

She watched him hang up the phone, shaking her head slightly at the fact he still hung up first 2 years later. "I love you." He mouthed at her, through the crowd.

She rolled her eyes, before blushing and mouthing back. "I love you too."


End file.
